He had the bride, but needed the ride

Gerrard Connelly purchased a 1952 Bentley Mark VI in Liverpool, England and had it brought to Canada in 2011 for his Canmore business.

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Highland Executive Chauffeur fills need for beautiful cars at weddings and other special events

by
Greg Williams | March 25, 2014

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Nestled in the Rocky Mountains, the towns of Banff and Canmore offer breathtaking scenery. And it’s those views of canyons, crags and rivers that encourage wedding planners to recommend a mountain escape when considering a venue.

Agreed, the towns are beautiful — but, on the big day, what about the wedding car?

For years, Banff and Canmore have boasted everything required to make exchanging vows memorable, except there were no professional driving services offering truly stunning automobiles. Until now.

Highland Executive Chauffeur was born of necessity.

Gerrard and Jennifer Connelly of Glasgow, and not yet married, came to Canada in 2008.

Connelly is ex-military, having spent three and a half years in the Royal Air Force. With his special training, he then took a job with a protection service, and drove touring actors, dignitaries and musicians around Scotland.

Next, he met a British professional chauffeur, who so impressed him with his skills and attention to details, that Connelly decided this was a career worth following.

Connelly trained in London, learning skills in advanced driver education, etiquette and security awareness. Eventually, he was accepted into the British Chauffeurs Guild.

Gerrard and Jennifer first moved to Edmonton, where Connelly worked as a driver for a local company.

When the pair decided to tie the knot, they toured Banff and the Bow Valley area. Planning began, and they met with photographer Kirstie Tweed of Orange Girl Photographs.

Everything was coming together, but the pair was disappointed when they couldn’t find a suitable ride for their wedding day – or any other special occasions. Upon making that remark, Tweed suggested that perhaps Connelly, with his special background, was in a position to do something about it.

Now married, the Connellys moved to Canmore and set up Highland Executive Chauffeur. First order of business was getting a car, and Connelly located and purchased a 1952 Bentley Mark VI in Liverpool, England.

The car was shipped to Canada, and arrived in February 2011.

“It’s a sexy looking car,” Connelly says of his Bentley, which he’s affectionately named Dorothy. “It’s a very prestigious and unique automobile, and it’s very aesthetically pleasing to look at with all of its beautiful curves.”

Built between 1946 and 1952, the Bentley Mark VI four-door “saloon” was first powered by a 4.3-litre inline-six cylinder engine. In 1951, the company introduced a 4.6L inline-six, and these engines were coupled to a four-speed manual gearbox.

Connelly himself rebuilt the top end of the 4.6L engine. The coachwork is original, and he had to replace the interior carpet and leather.

“Someone had painted the leather red, and it was all flaking,” Connelly says. “But the original English walnut and French polish hasn’t been touched.

“The car is the initial grab, but I wanted to show Canadians the difference between a chauffeur and a limo driver.”

What it really comes down to, then, is the experience a trained professional chauffeur can provide the client. Connelly says chauffeurs have been around for some 126 years, and he’s taken the vocation very seriously.

“A chauffeur is so much more than someone with advanced driving skills,” Connelly says. “They are a personal assistant, bodyguard, confidante, tour guide – someone a client can rely on implicitly.”

As much as Connelly loves the vintage automobiles and chauffeuring a wedding, he says the work is “feast or famine” because it’s seasonal.

Consequently, Highland Executive Chauffeur has expanded to include a fleet of high-end vehicles, featuring three BMW 750Lis, a Cadillac Escalade and a Mercedes Sprinter with a specialized interior. The company is also expanding into downtown Calgary with a location in Eighth Avenue Place.

With six core chauffeurs now in his employ, Connelly has written a manual that delves into all aspects of chauffeuring, including advanced driver training and security.

“It’s 400 hours of training before I call someone an executive chauffeur,” Connelly says, and he plans to give back to the country that he’s adopted. “There are no national chauffeuring standards here, and there’s not one training centre. I’d like to launch a Chauffeurs Guild of Canada as a national training organization.”